
Rat bike
Encyclopedia

Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s that have fallen apart over time but been kept on the road and maintained for little or no cost by employing kludge
Kludge
A kludge is a workaround, a quick-and-dirty solution, a clumsy or inelegant, yet effective, solution to a problem, typically using parts that are cobbled together...
fixes. Survival bikes look similar to but are different in purpose from rat bikes — they are modified for stylistic reasons.
Rat bikes

Most Rat bikes are painted matte black but this is not a requirement.
Survival bikes

The term survival bike itself originated in the British motorcycle press particularly Back Street Heroes
Back Street Heroes
Back Street Heroes is a monthly UK custom bike magazine that helped to popularize a "new breed" of custom motorcycle, distinct from previous choppers because they combined rat bike-influenced utilitarian and minimalist design with greater use of high tech gadgetry, but catering to an upscale buyer...
, and the now-defunct AWoL in the late 1980s and early 1990s.